Roofing apparatus



June 18, 1963 c. c. FIGGE 3,093,936

' ROOFING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 12. 1957 96 76 IN V EN TOR.

CAR/POLL G F/GGE BY J W ATT'Y United States Patent Inn-Q 3,093,936 ROOFING APPARATUS Carroll C. Figge, Batavia, Ill. (315 W. Madison St, Chicago, Ill.) Filed Feb. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 639,772 6 Claims. (Cl. 50--538) This invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for simultaneously applying a layer of roofing material and for sealing and finishing the lap edge of this layer at the same time. The invention comprises the operation of applying a bituminous top coating or such a coating with mineral surfacing, cementing a layer of bituminous roofing material in place, coating one side or both sides of a cellulose glass or asbestos fiber felt, or a plastic film in place on a roof. The top surface of these layers may be coated with bituminous material either hot or cold, with or without mineral aggregate, or with a thin sheet of metal such as aluminum copper, zinc or lead. This may be done with adhesive or protective materials requiring heat to liquify them, or a cold liquid or plastic cement either hot or cold may be applied.

An important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out this method and operation which may be moved back and forth over a roof in applying successive layers without turning the machine around at each end, simply reversing the motion of the machine, severing the layers being applied, and moving the machine to a new path to apply a new layer or layers.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is operated on the roof surface adjacent the last laid layer with laterally projecting apparatus which is supported on the roof itself and not upon the finished roofing layers which have been applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine and a method for laying a layer of roofing at one side of a wheeled carrier which has reversible means for applying a protecting layer over the exposed lap edge of a roofing layer applied concurrently therewith. Still a further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for applying a roofing layer, a sealing sheet and a mineral cover aggregate in either direction of operation of the apparatus over a roof without reversing the carrier of the apparatus but only one or more of the elements thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for substituting a sealing sheet in the place of a mineral aggregate cover or in applying amineral aggregate cover in addition to the sealing sheet if desired.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and will be apparent from the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reversible roofing apparatus in accordance with the method of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic transverse sectional view of a three layer overlapping roof structure and a corresponding sealing sheet structure therefor as laid concurrently with the roofing sheets providing a finished roofing in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating a thermostatic control for heating a bituminous liquid carrier as shown in the apparatus of FIG. 1.

By this method and apparatus, a sealing strip is applied to the exposed edge of a roofing felt layer as it is added in overlapping relation to another similar roofing layer and a sealing strip of a roofing installation thereby installing a completed roofing without running the apparatus over a finished portion of the roofing.

By moving the apparatus back and forth over the roof as each successive layer is applied without turning the apparatus around, but simply reversing its movement, a

new and improved method of laying a finished roof is thus provided. The sealing strip may be cemented in place by a hot or cold waterproofing liquid or by a plastic if desired, a mineral aggregate covering may be applied in connection to or in place of the sealing strip.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the apparatus comprises an open frame 10 mounted on wheels 12 and adapted to be moved back and forth by a motor (not shown) or by pulling it in either direction by means of a cable 14 which may be attached to eye 16 at either end of the frame.

Centrally of the frame 10 is a hopper 18 for gravel or other mineral aggregate having a central inclined divider 20 for directing the material to the front and rear of the hopper and located at the bottom of the front and rear portions of the hopper are spiral conveyors 22 communieating with external distributor pipes 24 at one side of the hopper and projecting from the frame 10 each having an outer horizontal discharge portion 26.

One set of opposite wheels 12 may be moved in a manner for steering. Each conveyor 22 may be separately operated by means of a driving pulley 28 mounted on a driving wheel shaft 30 connected to opposite wheels 12 which act as drivers. The driving pulley is connected by a belt or a sprocket chain 32 with a rotatable head 34 mounted at one end of one of the spiral conveyors 22 and connected to the other spiral conveyor by a belt or sprocket chain 36 with a driving pulley on the other spiral conveyor 22. A clutch comprising an operating handle 40 is connected to the shaft of each spiral conveyor .and either one may be connected to the driving head 34 or the driving pulley 38 depending upon which handle is operated.

The distributor pipes 24 for the mineral aggregate extend downwardly and outwardly from the hopper to discharge the mineral aggregate close to the level of the roof upon which the apparatus is moved and the pipes are angled forwardly and rearwardly to provide a space for other portions of the apparatus between the lateral extensions of the pipes.

Extending centrally between the distributor pipes 24 and at the same side of the frame 10 is a supporting shaft 42 for a main roll 44 of roofing material which is rotatably mounted thereon for discharging a strip or layer 46 of roofing material. At the outer end of this shaft 42 is a reversely bent extremity 48 spaced from the shaft 42 and providing a support for a sealing material roll 50 which is properly spaced from the main roll 44 by an offsetting shaft portion 52. This roll 50 may be positioned at either side of the main roll by rotating it from the trailing position as shown in FIG. 1 to the opposite broken line position as shown therein, depending upon the direction of movement of the apparatus over a roof surface and the desired application of the sealing material rolled. If the entire apparatus is moved in one direction while material is being applied from the main and sealing rolls, the web of material on the rolls must be severed and the position of the sealing material roll must be changed to move the apparatus for properly applying the rolling and sealing material in a new path in the other direction.

Also projecting laterally from the frame 10 is a system of piping for distributing liquid bituminous adhesive or roof covering material from a supply tank 54 preferably mounted above the main portion of the frame 10 by supports 56 and having a main distributing pipe 58 leading from the tank 54 with vertical supply pipes 60 leading downwardly therefrom to a horizontal distributing pipe 62 which may have separate branches at opposite sides of the main roll 44 or the ends of these branches may be joined by a curved portion 64 which extends beyond the outer end of the main roll '44 either above or below the offsetting shaft portion 52 for the sealing material 3 roll 50 which will not be affected in the forward or rearward turning movement of the reversely bent extremity 48 which supports the sealing material roll 50.

Extending inwardly from each branch of the horizontal distributing pipe 62 is a perforated distributing pipe 66 substantially of the same length as the main roll 44 and parallel thereto to distribute adhesive or bituminous liquid in advance of the main roll depending upon the direction of movement of the apparatus over the roof. Each distributor pipe 66 is connected centrally or intermediate its length to the adjacent horizontal distributor pipe 62 through a valve connection 68 so that either one or the other, or both of the distributor pipes 66 may discharge liquid therefrom. Usually one valve connection is open and the other is closed depending upon the direction of application of the main roll 44.

At the outer side of each horizontal distributing pipe 62 is a perfiorated distributing pipe 70 for the sealing material roll 50 depending upon its position at one side or the other of the main roll and the direction of movement of the apparatus. Each of these distributor pipes 70 is likewise individually controlled by a valve connection 7 2 between it and the main horizontal distributing pipe 62. The length of the distributing pipe 70 are of suflicient length to accommodate the longest sealing material roll 50 which may be ordinarily used in connection with the main roll 44 depending upon the number of plies in the roof, the amount of overlap, the kind of sealing material and whether a mineral aggregate is discharged from the aggregate distributor pipe 24 which also projects from the frame 10.

With this construction, a roofing or layer 46 of full width may be applied to a roof entirely free from and at one side of the wheel mounted frame 10 with the wheels operating tree from contact with the roofing and on that portion of the roof not yet covered by the applied layers. At the same time, a width of sealing material 74 may be applied over the edge of the roofing layer 46 most remote from the operating frame. In a movement of the ap paratus to the right as indicated in FIG. 1, the main roll 44 will receive adhesive below it from the perforated distributin-g pipe 66 in advance of the main roll, the sealing material roll will follow on top of the edge of the ply or layer 46 and it will receive adhesive or bituminous material below the sealing material layer 74 and on top of the roofing layer 46 from its perforated distributing pipe 70.

At the end of the application of the layer 46 and the strip of sealing material, the open valve connections are closed, the strips of materials are severed, the sealing material roll 50 is rotated to the opposite side of the main roll 44, the machine frame 10 is moved away from the layer 46 just applied an amount equal to the overlap of the strips or layers 46, the liquid adhesive valve connections 68 and 72 are opened and the machine is moved in the reverse direction without turning it around, simply moving it back out of contact with the layer or layers which it is applying, laterally from the supporting frame 10.

If successive layers are applied to a roof insulation as illustrated in FIG. 2, roofing layers 46a, 46b and 56c for example, are laid in overlapping relation and in succession, and at the same time each layer is applied a corresponding sealing strip 74a, 74b and 740 is laid over the overlapping edge of its corresponding roof layer and may also overlap the adjacent edge of the preceding sealing strip 74b or 74a as shown. In applying the sucsessive layers and strips, the roof layer 46a and its sealing strip 74a are applied in one direction of movement of the apparatus as indicated by the arrow, the roof layer 4612 and its sealing strip 74b are applied in overlapping relation in the reverse direction of movement of the machine as indicated by the arrow, and the final layer 460 with its sealings'trip 74c is laid by the operating apparatus moving in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow.

In this manner of operation and application of the layers, the layers are sealed and the roof is completed up to 4 the application of the last lap by the apparatus; it is unnecessary to go over the applied portion of the roofing with another layer and even if the work is interrupted, no harm from rain or weather will come .to the portion of the roofing which has been applied because it will be complete and finished as it is laid.

The sealing or adhesive liquid in the supply tank 54 may be hot or cold and it may be kept at a suitable flowing or applying temperature by means of a burner 76 receiving fuel from a tank 78 supported at one end of the frame 10 and connected :to the burner by a manual shut-off valve connection 80. The burner is below the tank 54 and in addition to the manual shut-ofi, there is an automatic control as shown in FIG. 3 including a thermalcouple 82 in the tank 54 connected to a valve 84 for con- .trolling the actual supply of fuel to the burner 76 depending upon the heated condition of the material in the tank. The pipe 86 extends through the valve 84 and to a starting valve 88 and thence by way of the valved connection as shown in FIG. 1 to the source of fuel supply. A pilot light 90 is maintained in the burner 76 by a piped connection 92 from the starting valve 88 whenever the valve connection 80 is open. This valve normally has an operating plunger 94 which is pushed downwardly to start the flow of fuel through the valve 84 to the burner and the valve is magnetically maintained in its open condition by a thermal-couple 96 located in the burner 67 and having conductors 98 extending to a thermal-holding coil 100 in the starting valve 88.

The operation of this heating arrangement is that the manual valve connection 80 is first opened, supplying fuel to the starting valve 88, the operating plunger is depressed, the pilot light 90 is lighted if not already in operation, and if the tank 54 calls for heat through the thermal-couple 8 2., the valve 84 is opened and the burner is ignited by the pilot light 90. If the burner is extinguished for any reason, the thermal-couple 96 de-energizes the holding coil 100 through the conductors 98, releasing the plunger 94 and shutting oif the main supply of fuel to the burner. The thermal-couple 82 is an operating connection for maintaining a substantially uniform or a desired heat in the tank 54 by varying the supply of fuel through the valve 84 to the burners 76.

This heating apparatus is substantially automatic once it has been adjusted and set for operation with any particular adhesive or liquid. It may need adjustment for accommodating any other liquid. For some liquids used for adhesives or for a covering liquid, it may not be necessary to heat them as they are adapted for cold application. In this case, the heating apparatus is simply disco-m nected.

The thermal-couples develop a sufiicient electrical flow to vary the fuel supply through the valve 84 and for closing the plunger by means of the holding coil 100 in the stanting valve 88.

With this method and apparatus, it is possible to apply a single layer or a succession of overlapping layers by operating the apparatus back and forth and out of contact with the layers already applied; to apply a sealing strip over the edge of the last layer applied which may also overlap a portion of the preceding layer and the edge of the preceding strip as shown in FIG. 2; the sealing strip may be omitted and the sealing liquid may be applied in its place; and an adhesive coating may be applied in the path of the sealing roll and a layer of mineral aggregate may be distributed adhering to the adhesive.

The adhesive or coating liquid may be applied cold, or it may be heated and applied separately and in conjunction with the sealing strip or with the mineral aggregate.

As thus presented, a variety of operations and applications of material are shown and described, the apparatus is at all times tree from contact with the finished portion of the roofing, and the direction of movement of the apparatus is reversed without requiring it to be turned around.

An advantage of this operation is that the roofing operation is completed up to the last layer applied by the apparatus and no further operations are required to finish that portion of the roofing which has already been applied.

While I have thus described a preferred form of my method and apparatus, it should 'be regarded by way of illustration and example rather than as a restriction or limitation of the invention as various changes may be made in the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1., in :a roofing apparatus, a wheeled carrier movable back and forth in spaced parallel paths for laying from one side lapped plies of roofing material without reversing the carrier, means supporting a roll of roofing material from said one side and projecting laterally outwardly therefrom with the axis of said roll substantially perpendicular to said one side, swingable means supporting a roll of sealing material from said one side and projecting outwardly beyond the first named supporting means with the axis of the second named roll parallel to the axis of said first named roll, said latter supporting means positioning the roll of sealing material with its innermost terminal edge inwardly of the outermost terminal edge of the roofing material and the outermost terminal edge of the sealing material outwardly of said outermost terminal edge of the roofing material for providing an overlap of said two materials when unrolled and said swingable supporting means movable about an axis to shift the roll of sealing material to either of two opposite sides of the first named roll thereby having the second named roll trail the first named roll while maintaining the parallel relationship of the axes of the rolls as the carrier moves in said paths.

2. A roofing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and including adhesive and bituminous liquid supply means, and distributing means on the carrier for applying said adhesive and bituminous liquid including liquid dispensing means between the two rolls with the second named roll positioned on either of said two sides, said dispensing 6 means positioned transversely of the overlap of the two rolls to apply the liquid onto the unrolled surface of the roofing material prior to its being overlapped by the unrolling of said sealing material.

3. A roofing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said liquid supply means includes a supply tank for said liquid, and heating control means -for controlling the temperature of said liquid in said tank.

4. A roofing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including mineral aggregate supply means and discharging means on said carrier for discharging said aggregate from said mineral aggregate supply means, said discharging means including a discharge tube positioned on each side of said first named roll for discharging said aggregate onto the upper surface of said sealing material in either direction or travel of said carrier.

5. A roofing apparatus as claimed in claimv 2 wherein said dispensing means extends beyond said overlap to apply said liquid across the entire path of said sealing material.

6. A roofing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said distributing means includes second dispensing means for distributing said liquid across substantially the entire path of siad roofing material on either of said two opposite sides of said first named roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 907,73d Buckborough Dec. 29, 1908 910,073 Lischke Jan. 19, 1909 1,278,272 Wilson Sept. 10, 1918 1,280,104 Hartford Sept. 24, 1918 1,351,725 Mosby Aug. 31, 1920 1,363,559 Boylan d. Dec. 28, 1920 1,846,145 Robinson Feb. 23, 1932 2,197,879 Robinson Apr. 23, 1940 2,424,234 Greider et al. July 22, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 05,457 Great Britain 1954 

1. IN A ROOFING APPARATUS, A WHEELED CARRIER MOVABLE BACK AND FORTH IN SPACED PARALLEL PATHS FOR LAYING FROM ONE SIDE LAPPED PLIES OF ROOFING MATERIAL WITHOUT REVERSING THE CARRIER, MEANS SUPPORTING A ROLL OF ROOFING MATERIAL FROM SAID ONE SIDE AND PROJECTING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM WITH THE AXIS OF SAID ROLL SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID ONE SIDE, SWINGABLE MEANS SUPPORTING A ROLL OF SEALING MATERIAL FROM SAID ONE SIDE AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE FIRST NAMED SUPPORTING MEANS WITH THE AXIS OF THE SECOND NAMED ROLL PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID FIRST NAMED ROLL, SAID LATTER SUPPORTING MEANS POSITIONING THE ROLL OF SEALING MATERIAL WITH ITS INNERMOST TERMINAL EDGE INWARDLY OF THE OUTERMOST TERMINAL EDGE OF THE ROOFING MATERIAL AND THE OUTERMOST TERMINAL EDGE OF THE SEALING MATERIAL OUTWARDLY OF SAID OUTERMOST TERMINAL EDGE OF THE ROOFING MATERIAL FOR PROVIDING AN OVERLAP OF SAID TWO MATERIALS WHEN UNROLLED AND SAID SWINGABLE SUPPORTING MEANS MOVABLE ABOUT AN AXIS TO SHIFT THE ROLL OF SEALING MATERIAL TO EITHER OF TWO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FIRST NAMED ROLL THEREBY HAVING THE SECOND NAMED ROLL TRAIL THE FIRST NAMED ROLL WHILE MAINTAINING THE PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP OF THE AXES OF THE ROLLS AS THE CARRIER MOVES IN SAID PATHS. 